10 Bihar bridges collapse in 15 days; Nitish orders survey
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has ordered an immediate survey of all old bridges in the state following a series of bridge collapses. In a review meeting with officials on Wednesday, he emphasized the need to identify structures requiring urgent repair. The Chief Minister's Office also issued a statement urging department heads to take strict action against those found guilty.
Officials discuss maintenance of state infrastructure
The meeting, attended by Bihar's Chief Secretary Brijesh Mehrotra, Principal Secretary of the Road Construction Department (RCD), and Rural Works Department (RWD), focused on ensuring proper maintenance of structures across the state. The meeting was held in response to at least 10 bridge collapses in Bihar over the past 15 days. On Wednesday alone, three bridges collapsed in Saran and Siwan districts.
Bridge collapses in Saran and Siwan districts
"Certain portions of bridges/causeways that caved in in Siwan and Saran on Wednesday are very old," Additional Chief Secretary of RWD told the media after the collapse of the three bridges. "These structures don't seem to have been constructed following required parameters. It also appears that the foundation was not deep enough, a reason why these structures got damaged during floods," he added.
Opposition leader alleges corruption behind collapses
Reacting to the bridge collapses, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RSD) leader Tejashwi Yadav alleged corruption as the cause. In a detailed post on X, Yadav criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Kumar for their silence on the issue. "By the way, it is a strange situation for the double engine government of six parties that even after the collapse of bridges worth 10,000 of crores each day, they are not able to find any excuse to blame the Opposition," he added.
Read Tejashwi's post here
10th bridge collapses on Thursday
Meanwhile, another bridge collapsed in Bihar on Thursday, making it the 10th such incident to have been reported from the state in just over a fortnight. "The latest incident was reported from Saran which witnessed two more bridge collapses in the last 24 hours," District Magistrate Aman Samir said, PTI reported. The official added that there were no casualties after the bridge, which was built by local officials 15 years ago, fell this morning.
